Would you eat less meat for the environment?
Posted by kathryn in Sustainablity
This week the Herald included an article on eating less meat for environmental reasons:
Hey, carnivore, think you can call yourself an environmentalist? Actually, while you might want to drop that hamburger, you might not need to completely swear off meat.
It’s a dilemma that has exercised the best minds. The Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki challenges people to eat less meat for the future of the planet, and the Australian ethicist Peter Singer, based at Princeton University in the US, argues going vegetarian or even vegan – dumping dairy and eggs – will reduce your personal greenhouse gas emissions.
Over the last year, per person, Australians ate more than 37 kg of beef and veal, 15 kg lamb and 21 kg of pork. Both the CSIRO and Sydney University have forecasted that this consumption will continue to increase over the next half century.
This is a tricky issue. At the moment the idea of eating less meat is regarded as almost un-patriotic and certainly a slight on personal freedoms. However, meat production is responsible for 18 per cent of our CO2 emissions . It also impacts our land and water use through soil erosion and logging. A joint CSIRO and Sydney University report found that:
every dollar’s worth of beef at the farm gate not only causes 26.7 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions, it also guzzles 731 litres of water, and contributes to the ongoing disturbance of 187 square metres of land.
On the other hand, graziers are working to do something about this. Farmers are using more deep-rooted grasses that capture rainfall and reduce soil erosion and are also responsible for planting more than 20 million trees a year for conservation purposes. It has been suggested that, if Australia makes it’s current Kyoto emissions target, it will largely be due to the conservation work of farmers.
And, of course, eating meat cannot be considered in isolation when assessing our environmental footprint:
“I’d say nature doesn’t care how you emit, but how much,” physicist Manfred Lenzen, of Sydney University’s Centre for Integrated Sustainability Analysis, suggests.
“It’s a trade-off between emissions for domestic energy, transport, food, leisure and so on.
“Someone with many flights around the world may easily emit more than a non-travelling meat eater,” Lenzen says.
Of course, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing approach. It has been estimated that if the average Australian halved their daily meat intake, from 305g to 155g, it would lead to a greenhouse gas saving of 1.4 tonnes per year .
What do you think about this? Would you consider eating less meat and dairy to reduce your environmental impact, or is that just going too far?
07 July, 2007
Comments
the effects of meat production on the environment is the main reason my husband and i have reduced our meat-eating. like many Australians i was brought up thinking that eating meat every day is normal and nutritionally beneficial. i now eat meat approximately three times a week, using about 100g of meat per serve, and that includes a serving of canned tuna.
we’re thinking about cutting back even more, for moral reasons as well as environmental reasons. my personal belief is that everyone needs to make their best effort, and i know that i have the time/money/energy to eat a well-balanced, and nutritionally fulfilling, vegetarian diet. not everyone has that choice so i feel like it’s almost my duty!
but we’ll see… it’s something that i want to think more about in the coming months.
Joanne and Lindsey, thanks so much for your thoughtful and considered responses. I’m really interested in this ethical issue and people’s responses.
Food goes to the heart of our lives and up traditionally meat has been an important part of the Australian diet. While there is a growing environmental sensibility and concern, I’m fascinated in how far people will take this.
Back in January one of the SMH bloggers asked this question and received over 200 responses (normally there’s 20 – 35 responses). It’s an often heated debate, but interesting reading.
[...] Would you eat less meat for the environment? [...]
Kathryn, have you read Nourishing Traditions by Sandy Fallon? It’s a very interesting book, and I’m just getting into it. She recognizes the moral values that might bring a person to the various forms of vegetarianism, but brings forth points such as: meats provide essential amino acids, fats and minerals not found in plant-foods, land suited for grazing is usually not suited for agriculture, but emphasizes that folks should strive to buy organic, cage-free/open-range meats instead of the heavily chemically modified, grain/soy-fed, mass-produced meats that are common here in the states. Although there is a short-term cost involved, I think if folks move towards more seasonal, locally-produced meats, then the environmental impacts can be reduced significantly.
Jeremy, thanks for your comment. I haven’t read Sally Fallon’s book, but I’m familiar with a lot of her arguments. While most nutrients are available from vegetarian sources, you do have to be more careful about what you are eating. It’s that bit harder to have a balanced diet as a vegetarian and meat does make things easier.
It may well be true that land suitable for grazing is not suitable for agriculture, but on the other hand re-forestation of those areas would also reduce our carbon emissions, rather than adding to them by grazing cattle.
But I do agree with you, it’s about finding a compromise. Eating local meats reduces carbon emissions from transport; pasture feeding is better than grain and soy fed; even if you have one less meat meal a week you’re making a difference and so on.
Here in Australia, one of the best meats you can choose is kangaroo. They’re well adapted to our harsh environment. They have padded feet, rather than hooves, so they don’t stir up the precious top-soil. Plus “farming” kangaroos leads to re-planting of native species – as they congregate around shaded areas. Unfortunately, it’s still not a very popular meat choice.
Kangaroo! Interesting, I’d be open to try it.
Through all that, I forgot to mention that I have reduced my overall meat intake for this very reason. I was even intrigued by the possibility of vegetarianism, so I asked my naturopath what she thought about it. She explained the variety of nutrients that meat provides, recommended the book, and emphasized the use of local meats, which we are lucky to have widely available here in Oregon. Thanks for all the great posts!
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